D.J. Morgan

June 13, 2010

The momentum in recruiting continues on even with all the sanction news. This is a BIG commitment, both literally and figuratively, for us since we need to stack up on offensive guards. No question Marcus has the size (6'3 350lbs) but his biggest sell is his great feet; he has all the makings of being an elite guard at the next level.

This also has an impact in terms of current commitments; Marcus is teammates with DeAnthony Thomas (DeAnthony is close with Victor Blackwell and Max Wittek) and friends with Antwaun Woods. This only solidifies the class and keeps the bonds stronger. Obviously there's no guarantee that these commitments stick, but this is one tight core and we all know how important that was when Pete left; the core of Demetrius Wright, Robert Woods, Kyle Prater, D.J. Morgan, and Randall Telfer held the 2010 class together.

January 15, 2010

Dillon took the news of Pete leaving hard and has been looking around. He's scheduled to take an official visit to Oregon this weekend and Florida the following. Chip Kelly is selling Dillon on being the next running QB in the Oregon spread offense; Urban is selling Dillon on being an all-everything back/receiver.

In the end, I think Dillon stays committed to SC, although I'm not as confident about it as before. Right now SC has the advantage in that the competing schools are far from home and run a very different system from SC. The cohesiveness of the current class should help, especially with kids like Kyle Prater and Robert Woods constantly in his ear. I think a solid visit from the coaches will seal this recruitment.

Robert Woods, WRStatus: Solid VerbalPrediction: USC

Robert didn't seem phased at all by Pete's departure. Robert and his dad are set on SC, and with Damian headed to the draft, Woods has a solid shot to earn PT as a freshman. My knock on him has always been his route-running, but watching him at the Army All-American game/practices, I was very impressed with how much he's tightened up his routes.

Kyle Prater, WRStatus: Solid Verbal (Early Enrollee)Prediction: USC

After a shaky weekend, Kyle solidified his recruitment with the hiring of CLK and will enroll in classes on Monday. It's always made sense for Kyle to come to SC due to our pro system. Kyle needs to be in a pro-set to fully utilize his size and talents as a possession receiver.

November 27, 2009

Morgan was injured Thursday night during Taft's City Section Division I first-round playoff victory over Garfield. He had an MRI exam Friday night, but it wasn't until today that he received a definitive answer about the ACL injury. Kerstetter did not know if Morgan would be able to return for track season in the spring.Morgan is the No. 1 hurdler in the world for his age group at 110 meters. This summer in Italy, he won the 110 hurdles at the World Youth Championships. This spring, he won the state championship in the same event. He also has rushed for nearly 4,800 yards in his four-year football career at Taft.

August 17, 2009

D.J. took an unofficial visit to ASU yesterday and the rumor is that he is interested in joining up with his brother Josh, who played at Pasadena City College last year, as part of a package deal to play in Tempe. This is obviously very surprising news for SC fans since D.J. has been a firm commit to USC for a while now.

Personally, I don't think there is much to worry about here. The way I see it is, if ASU bites at the bait and decides to go after D.J. via Josh, assuming the two would even follow through with commitments, SC could counter-offer and close the door on the situation. That sounds arrogant, but anyone that has followed D.J. knows he is a big-time SC fan; he and Dillon Baxter have served as the D.J. Shoemate/Chris Galippo type recruiting coordinators for the class. There's a reason why no major school has seriously tried to sway D.J. elsewhere; they know D.J. is a lock to SC.

D.J. Morgan @ #35: I'm going to go bearish on the current USC commit and say D.J. dropping from #20 in Rivals to #35 in ESPN is a good call. I actually think D.J. should drop a little further. He's a dynamic player but not good enough in any single area to deserve a top 25 ranking.

Kyle Prater @ #43: He's the top receiver on Rivals at #4 which I believe is way too high.

Ronald Powell @ #3: Top 3 is slightly high but the guy is a freak and can play both offense and defense. Definitely a top 10 player.

Bad Calls

Tony Jefferson @ #9: I'm a BIG fan of Tony but there is no way he's a top 10 player overall. Based on his tweener status alone he shouldn't be close to top 15. He fits nice at #30-45 range.

Lache Seastrunk @ #20: Lache is absolutely a top 10 player.

Trovon Reed @ #45: Trovon is a top 3 receiver in this class.

Anthony Barr @ #61: Deserves to be ranked higher despite being too big for his position.

May 19, 2009

I'm going to make the admission: I think Anthony Barr is the best offensive player in the state of CA for 2010. It's an admission because the kid is considered a major ND lean. Since last season, I've considered Anthony the top power back in the state over Malcolm Jones, who many considered to be at the top of the list, but now I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's the top offensive player. Rivals is snoozing right now rating him a 4-star, although to their credit they did move him up to #20 in the latest ranking.

The immediate comparison that comes to mind is Adrian Peterson. They both have the tall upright running style with the breakaway speed. AD was obviously more dominant coming out of HS, but Anthony definitely has elite talent. He's much more of a complete back at this point compared to D.J. Morgan (the top rated RB in CA) who is committed to SC.

Rivals just released their updated top 250 ranking. Here are some thoughts:

- Ronald Powell moved up one spot and earned himself a 5th star, which I guess is deserved simply on his potential alone.

- Robert Woods moved into the top 20 which I don't understand. Am I the only person that thinks there's too much hype behind this kid? I personally think he's a fringe top 50 player. Maybe I just don't see it. To top it off, Woods moved up while Markeith Ambles dropped out of the top 30. I'll take Ambles over Woods any day.

- Still not sold on current commit D.J. Morgan as a top 20 player. No doubt he shows flashes of brilliance, but I don't know if he has the consistency. Will have to wait and see.

- In the last ranking I commented on Malcolm Jonesbeing too high at #11 so I definitely agree with him dropping down to #32. He should be out of the top 50.

- Rivals keeps sleeping on Sean Parker, but I guess I can understand why since he's not a camp type of player and at this point that has the most weight.

- Demetrius Wright, who's been a hot name lately, finally moved into the top 250 debuting at #102. Kid will continue to move up. Hope SC plays this one hard.

March 12, 2009

Complete ranking is here. The following are some names that have SC high on their list:

2. Lache Seastrunk, RB (TX)

6. Jackson Jeffcoat, DE (TX)

10. Jeff Luc, LB (FL)

11. Malcolm Jones, RB (CA)

13. Ronald Powell, ATH (CA)

14. Trovon Reed, WR (LA)

17. D.J. Morgan, RB (CA)

23. Markeith Ambles, WR (GA)

26. Robert Woods, WR (CA)

28. Dillon Baxter, WR (CA)

42. Tony Jefferson, LB (CA)

49. Sean Parker, DB (CA)

57. Christian Thomas, TE (CA)

62. Jake Matthews, OL (TX)

77. Delvin Jones, DE (FL)

80. DeMarco Cobbs, WR (OK)

92. Pete Thomas, QB (CA)

Bold = Current Commits

Lot of speculation came out of the Army All-American bowl as to whether Lache Seastrunk favored us since he was wearing SC socks (picture above) during practices - in all likelihood, probably shouldn't put too much stock in it.

Malcolm Jones and D.J. Morgan are rated too high and Sean Parker too low IMO. The one player I wish showed more interest in SC is Lamarcus Joyner (#7 player in nation) - kid is absolutely ridiculous.

February 25, 2009

D.J. Morgan (above) and Dillon Baxter, both commits for 2010 class, are really making a concerted effort to try and recruit players to join the class. Baxter, who's been very involved in the program, reminds me a lot of D.J. Shoemate who also committed early and was vocal early on.

Cassius Marsh, DT from Oaks Christian, was ready to commit at Junior Day but refrained from doing so out of respect of his parents' advice to cool off and think things over. Many still expect him to be a Trojan at some point.

One of my favorite recruits of 2010, Sean Parker, took a break from the FBU camp over at the Coliseum to take in Junior Day. Lot of schools are starting to pick up on Sean and he's getting a ton of offers. The early word is he's looking to go to school out of state, but lately he's been open to staying local and is showing interest in SC. He had this nice quote:

"Just being around the players and coaches on Saturday was incredible. They have so much energy and you get fired up being around them. They have a great football program and who wouldn't want to be a part of a team like that."

One of his best friends and former teammates is '09 commit, Byron Moore, so hopefully that'll provide some pull in bringing in Sean.